James's Blog

 I really enjoyed being in this class for the last two quarters. Originally, I was nervous and scared to be writing as much as we have because writing is not my strong suit. I was afraid I'd fall behind. While there was definitely plenty of initial struggle in the transition from high school writing to college writing, I feel like I have improved a lot as a writer. In particular, I have improved on writing research papers, something that was a serious endeavor for me in high school. Aside bettering my writing skills, I appreciated this class for all of the time periods we learned about. I also really enjoyed doing projects such as Neatline which incorporated map-based research. Learning about cultures from different time periods and different physical locations really widened my scope of the world. I was born in the United States when it was already considered one of the most powerful countries in the world. For that reason, my perspective is very limited and it is easy for me to b...

 After reading Pachinko , I believe there are many things important lessons and meanings embedded for the readers. Themes such as family, identity, and women's struggle come up very often. However, there is one piece of symbolism in this book that I'd like to focus on, and it's in the name of the novel. The Japanese pinball game, pachinko, comes up numerous times throughout the novel. Sunja's boys find employment there. It is seen as a haven of job opportunities for disadvantaged Koreans in Japan. This is because these jobs at the gambling locations are not particularly sought after. Gambling is often seen as an evil in our modern-day American society because of the false hope it provides customers which cause them to put more money down than they should. In Pachinko , it symbolizes the false, temporary hope provided to Korean people in a hostile Japanese society. Betting in the game of pachinko provides temporary success and lots of highs and lows. Korean people experi...

After writing the first blog post about Yumi's struggle to become integrated into Japanese society, I decided I wanted to focus my topic on the issue of identity in Pachinko . Many characters in the novel are insecure about their Korean roots as they live in a Japanese society that views Korean blood as dirty or impure. In Pachinko , we see characters who refute their Korean ancestry because they feel insecure and worthless in a society that is anti-Korean. In particular, when Noa finds out that his real biological father is actually Hansu (who is Korean), he is upset because he believes his blood is dirty since society suggests that Hansu's blood was dirty. All of this demonstrates to us that many characters struggled with their identity in a society that promoted discrimination.

Yumi's comment about being Korean as "just another horrible encumbrance" demonstrates to us how present and large discrimination and prejudice were in Japan during this time period. Also, Yumi's comment in which she describes Japan as "a beloved stepmother who refused to love you" shows the complicated relationship that exists between Korea and Japan. This makes the readers think: should Japan look out for its more vulnerable bins of citizens and make sure they are integrated into society. The analogy of the stepmother who refuses to love you suggests that Japan is not doing its part to make sure that all of its citizens feel welcomed into the culture and community. A stepmother should care for her stepchildren, even if they aren't her blood because they are innocent and vulnerable and have nowhere else to turn.

I am a Catholic, but I haven't gone to Church in many years. I wouldn't be able to tell you about anyone in the Bible! However, after some research, I notice many similarities between Isak in Pachinko  and Isaac in the Bible. I chose to examine Isak's similarities to Isaac because I admire Isak for his refusal to conform to societal expectations. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Isaac is the only son of Abraham. Abraham nearly sacrificed his only son due to God's command. In Lee's Pachinko , Isak is not sacrificed against his will, but sacrifices himself for what he believes is right. He sacrifices his honor by marrying Sunja, a woman pregnant outside of wedlock. He also sacrifices himself for his religion when he chooses not to recant his Christian religion in favor of the dominant Shinto religion. 

 It is clear to me that gender plays a large role in Pachinko. Sunja has many social pressures that consume her life. Most of these social pressures are a result of her being female. For example, when she gets pregnant while being single, she is pressured to leave her life in Korea behind to find a man to marry and provide for her so that she is not judged by society. This demonstrates that society is not supporting women to live independent lives and/or pursue an education. The only expectations for women include being good mothers and good wives.  Another example of gender roles playing a big role in Pachinko  is women as part of the workforce. In Japan, it becomes apparent that women aren't encouraged to work. In fact, Yoseb takes it as a hit to his ego as a man when Sunja and Kyunghee tell him they wish to work. He is insulted because in Japan, a man is supposed to provide for women.